Eating with the AU: Eliunt – Extra Virgin Olive Oil Degustation

Eliunt are a new company on the market whose objective is to serve the finest extra virgin olive oils from around the world, and educate their users along the way. The company, which launched in Australia earlier this year ahead of its plans to expand internationally, currently sells ten oils from ten regions around the world. Last week, their flagship store in Bondi Junction invited a few journalists along to learn what the brand is all about, and get a bit of an understanding of how one should utilise their wide range.

The range varies from mild to strong, with the oils held in 60mL black glass vials. They are sold in packs of 3, 5 and 10 in black cardboard cases, with the pack of 10 coming with a small booklet that outlines the histories of the oil from each region, with recommendations of pairings for each. The boxset, when opened, looks something like a pastel set you might have received in your youth; definitely strong branding for a unique concept. Surely a perfect gift idea for any olive oil connoisseur. The serving vials, meanwhile, have been designed specifically to do one thing: preserve its taste by limiting sun exposure and oxidization. Once opened, the vials are designed to keep your oils at their optimum taste for months rather than weeks.

As I have nothing to prove this is an accurate statement from my own experiences, I only know what I was able to taste in this sampling, which saw me consume more olive oil than one commonly should on a Monday afternoon. Though the chef did assure us the oils, all Extra Virgin (which I learnt is the only form of the oil that holds in its Vitamin E) were good for us. I’ll wait for my cholesterol readings to back that statement up, but in the meantime the enjoyment of it all more than made up for it either way.

It should be pointed out that, like with all Extra Virgin Olive Oils, these are NOT meant for cooking, rather added for flavour to a dish just before serving. Adding a light amount of salt and serving with freshly cut bread always goes down well, and was the best way to taste the differences between flavours of the varying oils. My personal favourite was the Sonoma blend, from California.

Its colour was a darker green, as the olives are picked in the winter, though its flavour wasn’t as strong as many of the others. Naturally, this meant we were to pair the oil with food of a stronger flavour, which in this case was an anchovy served on a potato chip. An easy snack to serve your guests, with the oil bringing accompanying the flavours nicely.

A Spanish oil was served with a tomato puree, Lebanese with Turkish bread and hummus, and a strong Jordan Oil (the “Holy Oil”) was served with Carpaccio, lemon and cheese. Meanwhile, the local Australian oil was one of the weakest and served with the strong Manchego Cheese. Portuguese, meanwhile, came with dessert – chocolate.

There are many uses for the oils and though some work better than others, the showcase today was here to show the versatility of the oil, and how the variant flavours can help ensure just about any dish is given the splash of extra flavour it deserves.

With more than 60 countries around the world producing Olive Oil, one would imagine this is only the start for Eliunt. Like a fine wine, there a vast differences in taste, colour and texture in the oils from around the world, and while I remain in an oil-induced coma as I write this article, it’s definitely worth enjoying the variety the world has to offer.

Tastings happen every day at their flagship store at the Westfield in Bondi Junction, with other stores set to follow in 2013. Sales are also made online at http://www.eliunt.com/.

Larry Heath

Founding Editor and Publisher of the AU review. Currently based in Toronto, Canada. You can follow him on Twitter @larry_heath or on Instagram @larryheath.